Southeast Missouri State will be looking to snap its four-game losing streak when it travels to Arkansas State on Wednesday night. The Redhawks are coming off an 89-68 setback against Purdue-Fort Wayne last Wednesday. Arkansas State is on a two-game skid following an 80-55 blowout loss at Air Force last Friday.
Southeast Missouri State got off to a strong start this season, winning five of its first six games. The Redhawks won two of those games against non-Division I teams while also adding wins against South Florida, Evansville and Boston. Their win over South Florida remains their most impressive outing of the year, springing the upset as 11-point underdogs. They were also underdogs in their wins over Evansville (+2) and Boston (+5). Southeast Missouri State has not been able to pull off any upsets since then, losing to UC Davis, Milwaukee, Missouri and Fort Wayne as an underdog in all four setbacks.
After a one-week layoff, Southeast Missouri (5-5) returns to action when it visits Arkansas State (5-5) Wednesday. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT at First National Bank Arena.
Preview: https://t.co/XmA58NEFjW pic.twitter.com/TMGlREZ3Id— SEMO Men's Basketball ?????? (@SEMOMBB) December 12, 2022
The Redhawks have not been a good offensive team this season, ranked No. 274 of 363 Division I teams in effective field goal percentage (47.3). They are also dealing with turnover issues and a lack of offensive rebounding, and they are shooting just 42.4% from 2-point range. Their strength on the offensive end has been their outside shooting, as they are knocking down 36.3% of their 3-point attempts. They will be at a disadvantage when it comes to height and experience on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Phillip Russell leads the team with 16.8 points and 4.7 assists per game, while senior guard Israel Barnes (14.8) and senior guard Chris Harris (11.2) are both scoring in double figures as well. Harris missed last week’s game against Fort Wayne due to an illness, but he is expected to play on Wednesday.